Mafiastuck: Karkat's Tale
by Kegro
Summary: Karkat is the heir to some wealth along with his older brother, Kankri, in an early-to-mid 1900's. Wealth, friends, and urban society, all leading Karkat to more power than he wanted, listen as he tells his story of Loves, losses, triumphs, and defeats that are all part of life in the mafia.
1. How it begins

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and you're the head of a local mafia family. But, you don't really consider it a mafia, it's just some friends of yours that happen to work together to make some extra cash through less than legal means. But whether or not you consider it a real mafia or not, you're in some pretty deep shit. You pour yourself a glass of scotch and wonder how things ended up this way, as you start to feel the alcohol take effect your memory wanders and you think back to how it all started.

*FLASHBACK*

You were 13 at the time and you had recently acquired a large sum of cash and an abandoned warehouse through the death of some long forgotten uncle. You were going there to at least see what you now owned, because why the fuck not. When you arrived there, you were surprised to see lights coming out of the windows. You walk in and find that the warehouse you had thought abandoned was actually full of what appeared to be homeless people. They seemed oblivious to you and went about their business in the manner that made it appear as if they had been here for a while. You stand in the doorway shocked for a second before you shout out at the top of your lungs," WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" A silence falls across the warehouse as they all stop what they're doing and look up at you.

Slowly, a small child starts to walk towards you. She was wearing a green adult's trench coat that looked many sizes too big for her, a blue wool hat that slipped forward over her eyes so that she had to adjust it every few steps, an old black T-shirt, and something blue was covering her feet, but you could tell what hell it was. When she was just a few steps away her footsteps slowed down and she came to a halt a few feet in front of you. "well, um, sir we kinda, live here...," she stammers out slowly, clearly nervous, but gaining confidence," and, we've b33n living here for quite a while, and so i'd be really happy if you ... let us stay here." She finishes her statement almost in a whisper.

You open your mouth to shout out that they can't stay here, because you own it and that they have no right to be here, but something stops you. You can't take help it, but looking at this kids eyes, you feel that you just can't do anything that'd make her unhappy. She just looks so innocent wrapped in that giant trench coat, looking up at you pleadingly. You lean over and put your hand on her head and say in the least shouting way possible," Of course you can stay here, but you know if you're going to stay here, then I guess I better start making this hell hole a little more habitable."

A smile of realization spread across her face and she leapt at you in a flying hug shouting, "Really Mister! You're the best!" You stood there for a moment surprised by this; you hadn't had any human contact in years, much less a hug.

After you're shock wore away it turned into momentary happiness and you out this kid on your shoulders and turned to the rest of the warehouse occupants who were still standing and watching you, and shouted, "HEAR THAT FUCKERS, YOU GET TO STAY, AND I'M EVEN GOING TO IMPROVE THIS HELL HOLE FOR YOU LITTLE SHITS SO YOU BETTER BE DAMN HAPPY!" For a moment the warehouse was silent, but then a single massive cheer erupted from all throughout the warehouse.

As the cheer starts to fade and the occupants start to rejoice, somebody else starts to walk up to you. He looks like a bloke that could move a train single-handedly if he wanted to, he was wearing a broken pair of glasses, a cheap hat, and was wearing fucking shorts and a sleeveless top even though it was mid-winter. "E%cuse me sir, I'd like to thank you for your generosity, but I'd also like to retrieve my acquaintance from your shoulders," as he extends his arms in a gesture to take the kid off your shoulders. You reluctantly allow him to gently take the kid.

After the kid is taken down you lean over and ask the kid, "What's your name?"

She cheerfully replies, "nepeta! say, mister, you'll come back right?"

"Of course I will, and next time I'll bring you something," you reply with a gentle smile on your face. And now is about the time that your brother finally got out of the car and entered the warehouse.

"Karkat, what's taking y9u so long? I thought y9u were just taking a … quick … look…," Kankri's sentence comes to a halting stop as he takes in his surroundings. "Karkat, who are all these people and what are they doing here?"

You almost laugh, for a second there your brother was speechless, and that's a rare event. You quickly shout, "THESE PEOPLE ARE THE RESIDENTS OF OUR BRAND FUCKING NEW COMMUNITY HOME!" You had just decided that you didn't need the warehouse anyway, and these people definitely needed it. "I'VE ALSO DECIDED THAT IMPROVING THIS PLACE IS A GREAT INVESTMENT FOR OUR NEW FOUND WEALTH, DON'T YOU AGREE?" Kankri just nodded slowly as his eyes continued to wander about the warehouse.

*END FLASHBACK*


	2. Getting into business

Well, you guess that is where it started. You smile to yourself; it was all so simple back then. You were just a kid who didn't really know what he was doing. You had a lot of money at your disposal, and you had met Nepeta. You remember that over the next year you continued to visit Nepeta at your new found "community home", you learned that she had pretty much grown up on the streets, abandoned at an early age, she wouldn't have survived except that Equius had found her. You had also met Equius that day; he was the one who took Nepeta off your shoulders, ever watchful as usual. You found it funny actually, Nepeta was close to your age only about a year younger, but she looked so little because she was so underfed. You pour another glass of scotch as it seems that your glass is already empty. As you start the next glass, you let your memories flood back over you once again.

*FLASHBACK*

You are 15 and once again returning to the warehouse. It has become like a second home to you. No, screw that, it was Home to you, because it's where your friends are and there you don't have to listen to your brother constant droning. And since you decided to improve it, it's actually a pretty nice place. There's plenty of room, sleeping area, food, showers, and you even invested in making yourself a personal office here so that you had some privacy if need be, It also turns out that since you started making spending more time there you made a friend or two, and the warehouse became your hangout.

On that particular day, only one of your friends was there, probably because he was stoned off his ass. He had a mane of thick black, mangy hair covering his head, while his face was covered with a tattoo that was reminiscent of a clown's makeup. He wore a plain black T-shirt that had several holes in it and was covered in ash from his joints, while his pants were covered in polka dots, helping add to his clown like appearance. "WhAt a mOtHeRfUcKiNg mIrAcLe. My bEsT BrO HaS CoMe bAcK HoMe. WeLcOmE BaCk mY MoThErFuCkEr," Gamzee greeted you.

"SHUT UP GAMZEE," you reply casually as you walk towards the stairs to your office, "ARE YOU BUSY? THERE'S SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IN MY OFFICE." You walk up the stairs to your office and enter, leaving the door open behind you for Gamzee. Gamzee eventually makes it up the stairs and walks into your office.

"WhAt's gOiNg dOwN MoThErFuCkEr?" Gamzee asks while leaning against a cabinet in your office.

You sigh, "Gamzee, I've got some fucking bad news. We need to get our hands on some cash, and quick."

"WoAh, I ThOuGhT YoU WeRe lOaDeD BrO, wHy tHe sUdDeN NeEd fOr cAsH?" Gamzee questioned.

"Yeah, I was fucking loaded. But, do you know how much it takes to keep this place up and running. A. FUCKING. LOT," you slam you hands on your desk as you say that, "And Neither Kankri nor I have a source of income, we've been living off that cash we got as inheritance a few years back, and when I say living I mean the expensive kind." You stop to rub your temples before continuing, "So, if we're going to keep this place going we need to find a way to make money, and fucking quick."

"WeLl, WhAt aBoUt yOuR MoThErFuCkInG DaD? wHaT DoEs hE Do?" Gamzee mistakenly ask.

You leap over the table in a fucking rage, barely able to keep yourself from beating the shit out of Gamzee, "DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING MENTION MY GODDAMN DAD AGAIN! DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?" you yell at the top of your lungs face to face with Gamzee.

"WoAh, CaLm dOwN ThErE MoThErFuCkEr, OkAy, YeAh i wOn't sAy aNyThInG AbOuT YoUr dAd," Gamzee says doing his best to try to calm you down. Your anger starts to fade almost as quickly as it came as you return to your usually grump self. You stand up and return to your seat behind your desk which you now realize you jumped over to threaten Gamzee.

"It's okay, I guess I may have over reacted a little," you huff, before returning to the matter at hand. "But, seriously Gamzee, we need to find a way to make some fucking cash."

"WeLl tHeN I ThInK I GoT YoU CoVeReD BrOtHa, I KnOw a gUy tHaT CaN HoOk uS Up wItH SoMe cHeAp dRuGs, AnD I GoT SoMe oThEr fRiEnDs wHo hApPeN To nEeD SoMe dRuGs rEaLlY MoThErFuCkInG BaDlY," Gamzee says with his permanently half-stoned smile, "AnD It wOuLdN'T TaKe a mIrAcLe fOr tHeM To bUy sOmE FoR A LoT MoRe tHaN We sElL It."

You're hesitant at first because you now this is illegal, but then you remember your reasons for making the money and your resolve becomes fucking steel. You feel a smile begin to creep onto your face. "You know, I think you might actually have a good fucking idea Gamzee. LET'S DO THIS SHIT!" you shout that last part louder than you meant to and you suddenly see Nepeta's head poking in your door.

"what'rre you doing karkitty?" Nepeta asks inquisitively as she walks fully in the door.

"Damn it, I need a better office," you mutter to yourself, " Nothing Nepeta, and you know I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that."

"i won't call you that if you say that you'd purrfur i not call you that, " Nepeta replys with a smile on her face using her silly cat puns.

"Fuck no," you reply flatly.

"then i'm going to continue to call you karkitty," she says, her finishing line to what has become a traditional greeting ceremony between you two. "now, what were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," you lie with your best straight face. You think that there's a slim chance that she bought your load of BS.

"you know, i can tell when you're lying to me karkitty."

Shit. Well, it was worth a try. "None of your damn business Nepeta, it's a very private affair."

"well, i know you n33d to make money to k33p this place open, then you flipped out for some reason, and then you were just talking about selling drugs."

Damn those ears of hers, she pretty much heard the whole conversation. "Well, I guess there's no point in hiding it from you now, but I don't want you involved in this, it's too risky."

Nepeta frowned at that last part, "but karkitty, you know that, if you get caught, this place gets no funding, and then i just end up on the str33ts again, i'd almost rather get sent to prison then sit around here knowing that you're doing something dangerous for us."

You rub your forehead, not liking where this is going. "Nepeta, you don't know what they do to people like you in prison. Also, what the fuck would Equius say if he knew you were trying to get in on an operation to sell drugs?"

Nepeta scowled, "equius isn't in charge of me! i can do what i want!"

"I SAID NO!" you shout before you realize you're shouting.

Nepeta looks hurt and slumps her head as she turns to walk out of your office. You realize what you've said and reach out as if to grab her. "Alright, you can help," you say quietly as you let your head droop, "but, at the first sign of trouble you're out of there, you fucking got it?"

Nepeta's eyes light up like fireworks as she turns and leaps across your desk to put you in a hug tight enough to make a constrictor boa jealous." oh, thank you, thank you so much karkitty! i'm so happy!" she yells while squeezing you tightly.

"Nepeta, *cough cough* too tight," you manage to gasp with the little air left in your lungs.

Nepeta quickly releases when she realizes what she's doing. "heh heh, sorry about that karkitty." She says blushing slightly.

"Just get off," you say returning the blush. You look up and see Gamzee giving you the eyebrows implying something that's absolutely not true. If you could speak with your eyes, right now they would be telling Gamzee to shut the fuck up.

Nepeta quickly gets off your lap and returns to the other side of your desk. "Alright, I guess we can get started with the actual planning. Gamzee tell me about your contacts…"

*END FLASHBACK*


	3. Happy Birthday

And that was how you and your friends got into the drug business. After a few years you quickly became the cities top distributer. To this day Gamzee still heads your drug front. Man, he really hasn't changed much since those days you think, except for that time he was sober. Brrr, that sends chills down your spine, you don't like to think about that day. But, you still can't help but think that you still don't know why you're in your current situation, though the fact that you became a big name in the drug world most definitely had a big part in it. You figure you might as well continue your trip down memory lane as you abandon your glass and just start nursing the entire bottle of scotch.

*FLASHBACK*

You are 17, and tomorrow is your 18th birthday. Though, you also have a big drug deal going on tomorrow so you decide to celebrate one day early. You are sitting in the back of an expensive car from your collection. The drug business had been doing really well, so you had been able to acquire some personal luxury items. Also in the car were several of your, as you called them, friends. Nepeta on your right with Equius very close by. Gamzee in a stoned daze on your left. Though, you had over the past few years made some more "friends".

Tavros was sitting next to the door, seeing as he was paralyzed from the waist down due to nerve damage from a bullet wound. He had started out by working for you, but got into a gunfight his first day on the streets. It was pretty weird; in fact some witnesses claim that he was shot by his partner that day, Vriska, who happened to sitting next to him at the moment. They were dating, but you had a feeling that Vriska just felt bad for what happened that day, that is if she could feel guilt. You had no idea if that bitch was capable of it.

She had a track record as long as any one of your brothers lectures. You had first met her scamming some idiots of all their cash with a little card table on a corner of a street. In fact she was doing quite well for herself and had no need to join you or come back to the warehouse but her explanation was, "Coming with you sounds more exciting than sitting around here scamming these poor fools all day, even if I do make a killing." And just like that you had a new member of your crew. And you couldn't deny, she was useful, damn useful at that. She was great in a gunfight, if she felt like it. She could hustle anybody out of their last penny, if she didn't like them. And, no matter how big the guy was she could fucking stare him down like a disobedient puppy.

You six were going to a bar to celebrate. Everybody was eighteen, except you, but no bar was going to say no to the head of the largest drug distributing group in the city. The car rolls to a stop and the driver gets out and opens your door. Everyone proceeds to get out of the car one at a time with Equius getting out first and Tavros getting out last, Vriska had to help Tavros out of the car and into a waiting wheel chair. You head into the semi-busy bar you were parked outside of. It looked kind of seedy, but then again you were in charge of a drug operation so you really didn't have much room to say anything.

When you get inside you look around and see that it's a pretty dim lit bar, but there was plenty going on so it didn't seem like a bad place. You all headed to a booth near the door. A waitress soon came over to find out what you wanted. You didn't she her until she spoke, "WH4T C4N 1 G3T YOU CUT13?" You look up and see a giant grin right beneath a beautiful pair of sparkling blue eyes. You had heard of getting lost in someone's eyes, but you didn't really know what it meant until that moment.

After you a while you realize you were staring into her eyes for longer than 10 seconds you look away and quickly say, " One scotch," just loud enough for her to here you.

She cackles loudly, "4LR1GHT D4RL1NG 1LL G3T TH4T R1GHT OUT TO YOU 4ND WH4T W1LL TH3 R3ST OF YOU B3 H4V1NG?" She then got the order from the rest of your friends, but you were too busy thinking to yourself, "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" After you hear her leave, you look up to see the faces of your friends.

Vriska and Tavros were wearing the same expression, a big grin while raising their eyebrows repeatedly. "Karkat, you looked distracted for a moment there. Was something 8othering you?" Vriska asks with that giant grin still stretched wide across her face.

"NO, AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!" you shout at Vriska.

"Ah, looks like I hit a sore spot. Does Karkat like the waitress? Hmmmmmmmm is that it?" she replies coyly, not even phased for a second by your outburst.

"no, karkitty can't like the waitress! he just forgot what he was going to get, right karkitty?" Nepeta says loudly before you even get a chance to reply to Vriska, which left you at a loss for words momentarily.

"Right, uh, yeah. What Nepeta said." You say half-heartedly still wondering why Nepeta was so quick to defend him.

Vriska's eyes lit up like fireworks, "Oh, lucky me, I think I stum8led upon a little treasure trove. Say Nepeta, do you have feelings for Karkat?"

Nepeta went bright red in an instant. "NO! i mean, karkitty has b33n a great furriend since i met him, but i don't _like_ him like him, " she lowers her head as she finishes her sentence.

Before anymore can be said the waitress returns with our drinks. As you get yours, you quickly take a large drink from it to both calm your nerves and have an excuse to not say anything. "4ND H3R3S 4 N4PK1N FOR TH3 CUT13 JUST 1N C4S3 YOU N33D 1T, "the waitress winks as she says it. After she leaves you look at the napkin and see "867-5309 C4LL M3!" written on it. You quickly shove it into your pocket, blushing hard. Vriska snickers, but doesn't comment.

The rest of the night continues pretty normally until the door to the door to the bar is suddenly thrown off its hinges. A giant man, dressed in a black suit appears in the door way making sure the entrance is clear before he steps aside to reveal a smaller man standing behind him. Now, this man isn't small, not in the least, but he seems leaner than the brute that knocked the door off its hinges, it seemed more like he'd take you down with a few savage jabs to the kidney than with pure brute force like his associate. As he walks in two more follow him in, another one his size and a very small man. The other man his size seems less savage and almost seemed to give off an aura of "I don't really give a fuck, but if I have to kill you then let's make it quick." And then, there was that little man. He almost seemed to dance his way in, without dancing. He had a cheesy smile on his face, the kind of smile that makes you want to kill this motherfucker. The savage on steps forward, he seems to be their leader, and shouts out, "Alright, were here to take care of business. Please move out of the way so that we can kill those motherfuckers at the pool table." The speed at which the space between the door and the pool table was almost comical, almost. You quickly looked towards the pool table and see a bunch of guys in green suits standing around the pool table; one of them is even standing still mid-shot, leaning over the table cue in hand, looking at the group near the door. You quickly count 14 of the guys in green, and think that the guys in black must have some serious guts for taking them on in a fair fight.

Then the savage guy pulls a pistol out of his jacket and the shit hits the fan. Suddenly everybody is hiding behind whatever is closest to them, all the guys in black suits are pulling out guns, and the green guys flip the pool table and hide behind it while pulling out guns of their own. Your mind is racing full speed, but before you think of anything the bullets start flying. Nowhere is safe, windows, lights, glass bottles all breaking with missed shots. Two guys in green are already on the ground, but there were still a lot to go. All of a sudden, a stray bullet comes flying past you, but as it misses you it hits Nepeta in the shoulder. She screams out in pain, but before you can even start to cover the wound Equius has flipped the table in the booth, so that it provides a small wall between the group and the action. As you all duck down behind this wall, you take off your tie and quickly wrap it around Nepeta's arm very tightly to both slow bleeding and cover the wound. You quickly look up at Equius and see an unimaginable rage burning in his eyes, that rage wasn't directed at you but it still scared you. When Equius sees that Nepeta is safe he rips the leg off the table that had originally held it up and leaped over the table into the fray. You didn't look out, but you could tell that Equius was doing fine.

After you double checked Nepeta's wound dressing, you looked at Tavros and Vriska to make sure they were doing all right. They too were ducked behind the table, but you could tell from the way that Tavros was sitting he had been pushed down by Vriska. It looked like they were arguing, and Tavros was holding Vriska back. When you look closer you notice that Vriska is holding a pistol and appears to be attempting to join the gunfight, but can't with Tavros holding her back.

Finally, she smacks him. He is shocked, the look of despair dawns on his face. His grip loosens enough in that moment for Vriska to get free and hop over the table. You can see her holding back tears as she jumps the table. Tavros reaches out for her while she jumps even though he knows he can't reach her.

You look around and see that the last of your friends is calm even in this situation. Gamzee is just sitting on the ground with an arm around Nepeta trying to distract her from the pain in her shoulder. But, he still has that dazed, high-as-fuck smile on his face.

Since everybody behind the table appears to be fine for the moment, you decide to take a look over the top of your table. At first you can't tell what is going on at all, because there is smoke in the air and so much going on at once. Then the first thing you notice is Equius and the brute who broke down the door brawling all out, breaking everything in their path. Equius was stronger, but that guy had quite a bit of size on Equius so it was a pretty even fight. The way they were fighting they ended up getting thrown around the room by each other's blows, but wherever they went people got out of their way. Green and Black suits alike, because there was no stopping them. From the looks of a green suit on the ground it looked like he tried too, and there was a hole where his face should have been.

The next thing that caught your eye was the savage man. He was everywhere all at one. He was leaping and rolling from bar to table to jump and swing on hanging lamps to get behind cover continuously, while shooting the whole time. From the looks of it he was doing pretty well with if too, because you saw more than a few green suits being hit from out of nowhere.

Then you saw the incredibly smooth guy standing by the bar, cigarette in one hand, pistol in the other. He didn't really seem to be paying much attention, but he would occasionally fire off a shot at random and a hole would appear in one of the green suits heads.

You end up trying to look for that little man in the black suit. You have trouble finding him, he seems to have left the bar. Then, you see a little hand pop up on the bar counter and start to search for something by feel. The hand finds a half empty drink, grabs it, and disappears. That little motherfucker, you think to yourself.

All of a sudden you hear a scream of pain, and you look to see that the savage man's been injured. He had be in cover behind a table, when he was looking over it, a bullet shattered a bottle on the table. You now see the savage looking man crouched behind the table again, coving his left eye. After a moment or two, he got a strange look on his face. He moved his hand and you see a large piece of glass in his eye. It's so disgusting you have to fight back the urge to vomit. The savage looking man starts doing his cover to cover thing again, but this time he's heading directly towards the bar. He quickly jumps behind the counter. You wonder why he had the sudden desire to stay behind the bar, probably to beat that little shit for not fighting.

In the momentary pause from the savage looking man, you look around and count 7 green suits left. "Damn, they might not win this," you think to yourself, "they didn't really have much of a chance in the first place, but I was kind of rooting for them."

Then, you hear a scream that will haunt you for the rest of your life. You see the savage looking man stand up from behind the bar holding someone, with a gun to their head. You can't really see them that clearly at first, then the realization hits you with the force of a freight train. It's the waitress, the one whose number is in your pocket. The savage looking man then shouts out, "ALL RIGHT YOU SHITS, I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS! NOW UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT COLOUR THIS GIRLS BRAINS ARE I SUGGEST YOU PUT YOUR GUNS DOWN THIS FUCKING SECOND!"

"YOU GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKER!" you shout at the top of your lungs before the green suits even have a chance to think about what the savage looking man said. You're halfway to the bar with your pistol drawn before you even realize that you had gotten up from behind the table. Your leaping through the air with more rage than you had even thought possible; you had even dropped your gun. You were going to beat this guy to death with your bare hands. Time seems to be slowing down, you're in the air, your hands make contact; this guy is going down. BANG.

You had instinctively closed your eyes when you heard the gunshot. The top of your head hurt, you were laying on something, and with your hands you could feel something warm and sticky. You slowly open your eyes but your sight's blurry. You see that you're on top of both the waitress and the savage looking man. Then, you see what happened. There's a bloody line across her face. Her eyes are a bloody mess, and the bridge of her nose is gone. You quickly get up and pick her up into your arms and shout out, "SOMEBODY CALL A MOTHERFUCKING AMBULANCE! SHE GOT TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL! SHE'S GOING TO LIVE, she's has to…" you say that last part to yourself with tears in your eyes. You look around to see that there's no fighting going on, everybody's stopped and is staring at you, and even Equius is frozen mid-swing. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? SOMEBODY GET AN AMBULANCE!" That second round of yelling seemed to break through the shock. A customer rushed to the phone at the end of the bar and started dialing. You lay the waitress on the bar, take off your jacket and shirt, and cover the bleeding areas with your shirt; while also taking care not to cover her mouth so she could still breathe.

Time seemed to be standing still as you stood there holding your shirt to her wounds. In fact the only way you could tell time was still moving was that her blood was quickly soaking through your shirt. Then she coughed up some blood and started to speak, "h3y, wh4t's going on?" she coughed a little bit more," Why c4n't 1 s33 4nything? 4nd 1 c4n't f33l my f4c3…" She reaches up to touches her face, but you grab her hand and hold it so that she doesn't touch her face.

"Hey there, you had a little accident, you're going to be just fine," you say as gently as possible, trying to keep the tears out of both your eyes and voice. "The ambulance is on the way, it'll be here any moment now."

"W41t, your vo1c3, 1 r3cogn1z3 1t. Your that cuti3 from the both 4r3n't you?" She has to take a br34k to cough and wheeze for a moment before she starts to speak again, but you cut her off.

"Shhhh, we'll have plenty of time to talk later, right now you should just save your strength." You say to reassure her.

She opens her mouth as if to argue, but at that moment you hear the ambulance pull up outside. The paramedics rush in immediately, not being slowed down at all thanks to the lack of a door in the way, carrying a stretcher. They look around and decide that the most immediate injury is the waitress. They quickly pull her onto the stretcher when they notice the savage looking man with the glass in his eye.

When you see them notice him you say," Leave him for the cops." They look at you and nod, and then carry the waitress out. You look around the joint and shout out, "OKAY, IF YOU'RE INJURED YOU SHOULD STAY HERE FOR THE PARAMEDICS, BUT YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE COPS WILL BE HERE SHORTLY AND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HERE FOR THAT YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO LEAVE NOW." You look around and see a lot of worried looks on the patron's faces; you knew that this place was seedy for a reason.

You quickly go back to the table where Nepeta, Tavros, and Gamzee are. "Nepeta, are you okay for travel?" She nods quickly. "Okay, come on guys, let's go. We don't want to be here when the cops arrive." They all start to get up, except for Tavros, who you quickly help get into his wheel chair, which was lying, discarded on the other side of the table barrio Equius had constructed.

Equius and Vriska start making their way towards you. And you just realized that Vriska had been in the rafters the whole time, like a fucking spider. There was a reason you really didn't like her. Once everybody was gathered you lead them out of the bar, into the night…

*END FLASHBACK*


	4. Clowns get into funny business

You were quite drunk by now, but you still remember that night like it was just yesterday. When you guys had gotten Nepeta home, you had Kankri take the bullet out and patch her up. Kankri was basically your doctor for wounds; at least he's good for _something. _Luckily you really didn't have to rely on him much because injuries were far and few between, at least back then.

Then our mind drifts from Nepeta to the waitress you had met that night. Her name was Terezi you later found out. After 2 days you had found out what hospital she was in and gone to visit her. You were nervous about seeing her at first, but as soon as she realized it was you she was happy and that made you a little less nervous, a little. She had found out earlier from the doctors that she would be permanently blinded by the injury. She had seemed to be taking it pretty well, but there was a hint of sadness to her voice. For the rest of your visit you did the best you could to make her laugh, making a complete fool of yourself in the process as well.

You smile, because those were happy times. You were pretty young, not really in any trouble yet, and you had just met someone very important to you. These thoughts keep running through your head as the alcohol and late night run together to make you start to feel drowsy. You lay forward on the desk and rest your eyes. And the last image that runs through your mind before you go to sleep is Terezi's smile, and that's enough to make you smile.

A loud banging on the door shocks you out of sleep, and very kindly helps you notice the damn pounding inside your skull. Whoever this is, they better have a pretty fucking good explanation as to why their knocking on your door at … you glance over and see the clock. Shit. You overslept, it 10:30. You stand up, but not too quickly, you know what the effects of a hangover are from many past encounters. You slowly make your way to the door, grateful that your past self was sensible enough to make sure all the blinds were closed because your head felt like it was about to be split open without bright light making it worse.

You make it to the door fine, well as fine as you can be with a hangover that is. You quickly look out the peep hole; you don't have a bad enough hangover that you've lost all your caution. You see Vriska and Nepeta, an unlikely pair no matter what the situation. You open the door and immediately see the look of concern on their face. Damn. It's too early in the morning for this.

"What happened?"

Nepeta's looking down so that you can't see her face. "it's the felt, ... they've got gamz33." She says, looking up at you with tears in her eyes. "we found out this morning. gamz33 had b33n out, talking with one of his usual contacts, but, it turns out he'd b33n bought, and the felt were waiting for him." You can't move, your entire body is frozen. Your eyes stare at Nepeta while your mouth hangs open. When it becomes apparent you can't say anything Nepeta continues, "they sent a message that," she sniffs again and looks away, "that they want you to come unarmed to negotiate for his release." Once she finishes, she can't look at you, or anywhere near you.

There's only one thought that runs through your mind.

"Where?"

On the way you recover a little more sense, but not much. You realize that going in according to how The Felt wanted you to would be suicide for the both of you. So, you called some people up and have them stay near the place within a 1 block radius so that they could jump in whenever the need arose. You had Nepeta, Vriska, Equius, Kankri, Terezi's sister Latula, and Kanaya.

Latula was actually kind of Kankri's girl, but they never went official with it. It was more of Kankri having the hots for Latula, but not having the guts to ever admit to it. Latula, of course, was almost as blind as her sister, but in a different way. Latula couldn't notice Kankri's feelings for her to save her life, but as irony would have it she had the hots for Kankri as well.

Now, Kanaya, see was not only a force to be reckoned with but also one of your favorite people. She knew what you were feeling anytime you were down or angry, and could say the right thing accordingly. And, although you would never admit it, she had an impeccable sense of fashion. You had actually met her while you browsing for a new suit, your last one had blood stains, and if there was one thing you learned in the crime biz, it was that blood stains don't wash out. She had actually suspected your troubles and picked out a suit for you that was the colour of blood stains so that you wouldn't have to worry about them. After that you invited her to join your little merry gang of hell raisers, because you had a good feeling about her and she's done nothing but help since she joined.

Equius was driving the car you were in. As you pulled to a large mansion, you opened the door to get out. As you're getting out you glance back one last time, you see the all the worry in Nepeta's eyes, but you can't do anything. What would you do, reassure her that you'd be fine? No, because you didn't know that yourself and you didn't give false hope. In the end you just smiled reassuringly and then shut the car door so that Equius can leave. You watch the car as it goes; you had a bad feeling about this, a really bad feeling.

You walk slowly to the front door of the mansion. The old mansion is painted a weird shade of green you notice; you guess that makes it the perfect hide out for The Felt. As you reach the front door, you almost have second thoughts, but the thought of Gamzee clears them from existence. You slowly lift your hand for the door to knock. When your hand connects with the door it makes a hollow echo that you can hear through the house. As the door slowly opens, you see a man there to greet you in a green suit and a big smile.


	5. Kankri's date

You are Kankri Vantas, older brother of Karkat Vantas, and you are currently waiting in a car with the love of your life while your little brother is risking his life in a suicidal attempt to rescue one of his beloved friends. It's not that you disagree with an attempt to save something that you hold dear to you, it's just that while Karkat has every right to throw his own life away, though you'd prefer he not, he has to be more careful when using those that follow him in such a dangerous endeavor. You know that several of his friends would follow him to the end of the world and back if he asked them to, but that is not the point of being the leader of such a group of friends. He needs to make sure that in the future he considers their safety for a more substantial amount of time.

With your mind at ease, having thoroughly thought through that conundrum you can turn your attention more to the situation at hand. You are currently sitting in the back of a car with Latula, the girl of your dreams. You've had these feelings for her for as long as you've known her, which would be 3 years ago while accompanying Karkat to her little sister's hospital room. She had been with her sister when Karkat came to visit, but was fine with waiting outside so the two could talk, and you followed her lead, for you thought that the two might want some privacy. You ended up spending a considerable amount of time talking with Latula that day, and you were surprised because, unlike most people, she seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say. You two had become quick friends, but you discovered for the first time what it felt like to love someone. And today, after 3 years, you had finally made up your mind to make an advance in the direction of romance.

"S9, Latula. I kn9w that n9w might n9t 6e the 6est time, 6ut I think that I sh9uld use this 9pp9rtunity, s9 if y9u aren't 6usy this Friday night I was w9ndering if y9u'd like t9 perhaps g9 have dinner 9r may6y see a m9vie? Th9ugh, if y9u are 6usy Friday night I have n9 preference as t9 when these events might 9ccur, 9r if y9u are against such activates then I have n9 interest in pursuing them. 9r if y9u simply d9n't wish t9 g9 with me then I shall dr9p the subject immediately." You ask in one continuous stream of words. You had gotten better about saying as much, but when you get nervous the words just tend to start flowing out of habit.

For a moment Latula just sits there, you're guessing stunned by this request that is seemingly out of the blue. Slowly a smile spreads across her face, "How 4bout S4turd4y n1ght 1nst34d? I h4v3 to work Fr1d4y n1ght."

Pure ecstasy, that's the only way you could describe your feelings in that moment. She had said yes. You let yourself sink into that feeling for a moment before you realize that what she had said required a response. "9h, yeah 9kay great. Saturday s9unds great. I'll pick y9u up at 7, 9kay?"

She giggles at how long it took you to respond. "Ok4y, 1'll b3 r34dy by 7. 1'm exc1ted." She smiled with that last statement. Opps, there goes your common sense.

"Umm, uhhhh, haha?" you mumble and stutter making no sense because your brain had taken a leave of sanity. And this probably would have lasted for a long enough time to embarrass you severely, if at that moment you hadn't heard an explosion from within the mansion. "I'm g9ing t9 take a wild guess that that's 9ur queue f9r supp9rt." You're slightly annoyed at this interruption, but it's for your brother and you'll have plenty of time to make up for it Saturday. You start the car and race towards the house from your position, you aren't actually there to help fight, but you're the closest thing they have to a doctor. As your car approaches the mansion you start to hear gunshots, and you start to get nervous. "Karkat, y9u 6etter make it 9ut 9f this alive," you whisper to yourself.

When you pull into the front yard, you see that Vriska must have gotten a little impatient because there was a car sized hole in the mansion where the front doors should have been. There's also another car parked outside with its occupants quickly grabbing guns out of the trunk. You get there just in time to see Nepeta charging in with what appears to be a Thompson, Equius following as close as possible with two sawn-off shotguns. You silently wish them luck, but you know that they'll be fine.

When you park the car you immediately get out and open the trunk. You had in three things in there, your briefcase of medical supplies, your pistol for emergencies, and Latula had stored her hunting shotgun. You slip your pistol into your coat and grab your briefcase, while Latula grabs her shotgun. "Y9u kn9w they pr9bably d9n't need y9ur help, y9u c9uld just stay with me and help guard the w9unded," you suggest hopefully even though you know she'll refuse.

"N4h K4nkr1, 1 couldn't do that. 1'd f33l guilty 1f som3th1ng happ3n3d 4nd 1 could h4v3 done som3th1ng to pr3v3nt 1t," she says even though she's smiling from your suggestion. You both know this dialogue by heart because you've said it every time you're about to enter a gun fight. You smile back acknowledging this. Then you both head up to the house, with quickness in your steps as if you think the quicker you can get there the quicker it's over, and the quicker it's over the quicker you can get to Saturday. You think to yourself, "I'll have to get a new suit for the special occasion, maybe a black suit; I don't have a good black suit."

You get to the door and see that it's chaos, as usual. Vriska and Kanaya are both using their car for cover. And it's also blocking the pathway up the main staircase in the center of the room. The stair case splits half way up and turns back to form two balconies on opposite sides of the room. The stair case has about 3 of The Felt on it, all attempting to use the railing for cover while shooting at Vriska and Kanaya.

To the left you see Nepeta and Equius, going into what seemed like a labyrinth made of bookshelves. But, the shelves didn't remain filled for very long as Nepeta started making use of her Thompson, while Equius took the more conservative method of shoving his gun into any of The Felt unfortunate enough to meet him in the maze. Though, the results of Equius's method were more … extravagant, than need be.

You look around, but nobody seems to need medical attention at the moment. Then, from a door you hadn't noticed on the right side of the room Karkat comes out while appearing to be dragging Gamzee with most of his body, yet still managing to fire, what looked like one of The Felt's guns, back into the room he had just excited with his right arm. You would have been proud of your little brother in that moment if you weren't thinking about Gamzee's possible injuries and how to treat them quickly.

You quickly notice something though; Karkat was going to have a hard, if not impossible job of getting Gamzee across the makeshift battlefield to you so that you could tend to his wounds. From the looks of it Latula also notices this at the same time you do. She turns to you and says, "H3y K4nkr1, 1'll t4k3 you up on your off3r of gu4rding th3 wound3d if you h3lp m3 go g3t Gamz33."

At first you think this sounds dangerous, but you'd rather have her near you than watching her fight from afar, plus she'll have to leave the fight to help guard Gamzee once you get him. After thinking about if for a split second you make up your mind, "Let's g9," you reply with a nod.

You transfer your briefcase to your left hand and remove your pistol from your jacket as you follow Latula over towards Gamzee and your brother. It takes longer than you'd like to reach Gamzee; you had to stop several times behind cover on the way over because some wild shots had gotten a little too close for comfort. When you finally reach Gamzee you help Karkat carry him to a more suitable cover for working with his injuries.

You and your brother end up carrying Gamzee over to Vriska and Kanaya's car. You lay him down and start taking inventory of his wounds. His face is beaten and bruised, probably from beatings from The Felt. They weren't life threatening though. You continue to appraise his medical condition. There are some scratches on his neck, but they're not deep and are already starting to dry. Then you see a darker spot on Gamzee's suit on his upper right section of abdomen. You need to check that wound.

You open your brief case and take out a knife and quickly cut open Gamzee's shirt to get to the wound. You see that the wound is still relatively fresh, you need to get that covered up, but not before extracting the bullet. It would get much trickier to remove the bullet if you covered the wound now and didn't get around to it before the wound had started to heal. You grabbed you pair of clamps from your brief case and hole the wound open while you search for your long handled tweezers. You found them and quickly started to put them in to extract the bullet. You had to be extremely careful in this procedure, for one slip of the hand and you could puncture his large intestine with your tweezers. You feel the sweat dripping off your brow as you continue to probe Gamzee for the bullet, chaos all around you.

You feel it in your finger tips as your tweezers make connection with the bullet. You carefully start to grasp the bullet with your tweezers and extract it. When the bullet is out you throw it on to the ground because you're in a rush. You lightly pack the wound with cotton balls, and then start wrapping Gamzee in gauze.

You're almost finished when you hear movement behind you and the sound of a bullet meeting its target. You turn around to see her falling through the air. You leap up and catch Latula in your arms, while Karkat takes aim and kills the bastard that shot her. You quickly lay her down beside Gamzee.

"Looks lik3 1 m1ght h4v3 to postpon3 th4t d4t3 K4nkr1, 1'm not f33l1ng to w3ll. 1 m1ght b3 com1ng down w1th som3th1ng." She says with a weak smile on her face.

"That's 9kay, h9w's next Saturday s9und?" you say with tears in your eyes. You can see that her wound is fatal. From the looks of it, the bullet had made a tear in one of her major arteries, she had a few minutes to live in the ideal situation, and this was less than ideal.

"Y34h, n3xt S4turd4y s9unds gr34t. But, 1f 1'm st1ll not f33l1ng w3ll you'll h4v3 to com3 t4k3 c4r3 of m3 Dr. V4nt4s." you could tell from the look in her eye's she knew she didn't have long either.

"Y9u can 6e sure 9f it. I swear 9n my h9n9r as a d9ct9r. 6ut, f9r n9w y9u sh9uld rest. It'll make y9u feel 6etter quicker, and I've g9t just the stuff t9 help y9u get s9me sleep." You slowly get the morphine out of your suit case that you keep for emergencies, to ease the pain of death.

"4ww, you 4lw4ys w3r3 so cons1d3r4t3 K4nkr1. W1ll you st1ll b3 h3r3 wh3n 1 w4k3 up?" She says just going along with the story now.

"I w9uld never leave y9u al9ne Latula. Here, n9w just relax." You start to inject the morphine.

"Before I go to sleep Kankri, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a really long time," she says as she leans up towards you.

"What is it Latula?"

Her lips are barely an inch away from yours, her eyes blazing with determination to say what she needs to say, "Kankri, I … love y—"something in her throat catches before she can finish what she was saying. The light in her eyes fades away, and she falls limp in your arms.

You just stare at her lifeless form for a moment before your mind can comprehend the shock of her death. Then, after that moment, you completely fall apart. You're grasping Latula's body in your arms and sobbing. Sobbing with an uncontrollable fierceness. After a moment of this you calm down enough to speak, and you pull Latula close and whisper.

"I love you too.


	6. The fires of Hell

You are Karkat Vantas, and you just witnessed you're brother's first love die in his arms. You are in shock; death is not your area of comfort. You've never been good at dealing with the deaths of those you knew. And then, your brother's girl, Terezi's sister dies right in fucking front of you. And, you know that she had died taking that bullet for your brother. You watched it happen, Kankri had been working on Gamzee when you saw Latula jump into the air behind Kankri. That bullet would have gone straight into Kankri's god damn head if Latula hadn't intercepted it. Kankri had then turned and caught her in a flash. He had laid her down next to Gamzee, and they talked. You couldn't figure out why he wasn't in a mad rush to patch her up. While they talked Kankri had gotten out the morphine and injected her. Oh shit. That could only mean one thing; she wasn't going to make it. You couldn't hear them, but you could see the sadness in their eyes. Latula leaned up and said something to Kankri, then, fell limp. Kankri had stared at her, his eyes devoid of all emotion, then started bawling his eye's out. You had never seen Kankri cry like this before, but you could tell it was almost a primal type of crying. The force of his sadness too much to bear in the more developed parts of the brain, he was crying from the very essence of his nature.

Then, after he cried you saw something change. He whispered in Latula's ear and then laid her body down. He gently closed her eyes' with the tenderness of a tender lover. Then, something inside him snapped. Kankri closed his eyes, and a monster opened them. You had rarely been scared in your life, your father's death, almost losing the warehouse, Gamzee sober, but none of them could compare to the fear you felt right now. The monster standing before you was not your brother, but a creature summoned from the depths of hell to enact vengeance for his lost love.

Kankri picked up Latula's shotgun and then hopped over the hood of the car, onto the stairs. It was more a flash than a fight in your mind, but Kankri had quickly left nothing but stains on the stairs. He moved in a blur, quickly clearing the balconies on both sides of the house. When he was done he jumped the railing on the balcony onto the tops of the bookshelves and started to run atop the shelves taking out all The Felt left hiding in the Labyrinth of Shelves.

The room was suddenly still. None of The Felt was left alive in the room. Kankri made his way back into the center of the room towards Latula's body, when a large figure dressed in green came out of the door that you had exited from a little while ago. It was Mr. English. The true leader of The Felt. He came out and said, "You've killed all of my men, this does not please me." With a voice that echoed around the room. Before anyone could make a move Kankri had lifted up Latula's shotgun and blown Mr. English's right leg away, making Mr. English fall to the ground.

Kankri walked over to him and said, "If I ever see you, or any member of The Felt again I will personally track you all down and make you suffer as I have." With that final statement Kankri spit in Mr. English's eye and then turned and went to Latula's body. He picked her body up and carried it to his car. You hear the engine start and Kankri driving away.

You hope you never have to see that part of Kankri again...


	7. Something's fishy

Latula's death was a day that you hate to remember. That was 2 years ago now, but it still rings with sorrow through your conscious. She died not only protecting **your **brother, but she was there saving **your **ass, not to mention she was only involved in this whole crime business because of you. She would still be alive right now if you hadn't entered her life, you think while sipping your favorite brand of scotch. But, you think, at least she died in the arms of the one she loved which is more than you could hope for. Damn, that brought your thoughts to Kankri. That fucking brother of yours wasn't the same after that. But, things didn't turn out the worst way possible for your brother you think, with another sip of scotch.

*FLASHBACK*

You were walking home, about 6 months after Latula's death. You were out looking for that damn brother of your. Almost every night for the past 5 and ½ months, he had gone out to a different bar each night and drunk until he passed out. You used to care about it more, now it's just starting to piss you off. Every time you found him, he'd be passed out or nearly so and you'd have to drag his ass back home. You were going to have to figure out a solution to this, he couldn't go on drinking his life away. You stopped in front of a bar you hadn't been in before, it really was a dive, but it looked like just the place Kankri would be so you wouldn't find him. You put your hand on the door handle, but then something comes flying out through the window beside the door. After a moment you realize that it's Kankri, drunk as ever. But something is different than usual; he has a fire in his eyes. You're shocked, because you haven't seen that since before Latula died. He used to get it all the time whenever he was in the middle of a lecture that actually held a lot of meaning to it, not just his usual ramblings.

He started to get up; having trouble because he was so drunk, but his pure determination got him to his feet. Then, through the window I hear, "O)-(, I sea you want more e)-(? Well, I've got plenty to give."

"I'll 6eat y9u int9 the damn gr9ud if I have t9."

"Oooo, that's w)(at I like to h-Ear."

At that snide remark, Kankri jumped back through the window of which he was just thrown out of. You have no doubt that this can only end badly since Kankri was terrible in fights sober, you have no idea how bad he'll be drunk. You rush in through the door only to see that you were wrong. Kankri was holding his own, taking hits like a born fighter and throwing just as many back. Not many people you know would be holding out in this toe to toe he was having, but this crazy bitch seemed to be enjoying it. She would laugh every time he landed a punch on her, and shout with a grin, "IS T)(AT ALL YOU GOT?" This just seemed to make Kankri punch harder, but this girl was taking every hit with a smile on her face.

"Fuck," was the only word that escaped your mouth. You were still standing in the doorway, watching this fight. While Kankri was taking a breather between assaults, this chick notices you standing in the doorway.

"It looks like w-E'v-E got a s-Econd one. But, )(-E isn't as cut-E as the first on-E, w)(at a s)(am-E." She says with a fake look of disappointment on her face. Damn this was one psycho chick.

"HEY I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE THAT DRUCK FUCKER AND GO; WE DON'T WANT ANY FUCKING TROUBLE." You shout as politely as possible across the bar, you've had enough fighting for a while and you weren't going to start one here if at all possible.

"A)(, BUT W-E W-ER-E JUST G-ETTING START-ED. I'M AFRAID YOU'R-E GOING TO HAVE FIG)(T M-E FOR )(IM." She shouts coyly. Fuck, exactly what you didn't want. Well, looks like you were going to have to give it a try. You start to take off your jacket, when Kankri finishes his breather and launches himself at the chick. From the looks of it, it caught her off guard and she went tumbling down with your damn brother on top of her.

He takes this moment of advantage to start viciously beating the fuck out of her. By the time you got over there to pull him off, her face was covered in blood and bruised almost beyond recognition. Damn, you decided right there that you were going to start keeping Kankri from drinking anymore.

Once you pull Kankri off he stops trying to punch her and seems to grow heavier in your arms. You look down and realize that he's passed out from the alcohol and the fight. Fuck, now you're going to have to drag him home again. You start towards the door when you hear a faint voice call out to you, "Wait … FUCKING S)(-ELL! WAIT!" it's the drunk chick, she's still conscious amazingly. "W)(at's )(is nam-E?" She ask, barely able to focus from the pain.

"IT'S KANKRI FUCKING VANTAS, NOW SHUT UP SO I CAN START DRAGGING HIS SORRY ASS BACK FUCKING HOME." You shout, really irritated now. Why does she need his name? It's just some punk who beat her senseless in a bar fight. Why in the hell does she need his name? Oh fuck it, you're too tired to care anymore. You then start to drag your fucking brother home.

*END FLASHBACK*


	8. Dances, drugs, and buckets

You manage to chuckle to yourself, for you had thought that was the first, last, and only time you would see that chick. Damn, you couldn't have been more wrong. A few days after that, who shows up at the warehouse? Yep, that damn chick. The bruises on her face were still there, barely having faded at all in the short time. You take another sip of your scotch; she had tracked down your brother with his name alone. You had to say she was persistent, if nothing else. She wanted another fight with Kankri, but he'd been sober those few days and there was no fight left in him. She was determined though, because apparently he was the only person to have ever beaten her in a fight.

Though, what ended up happening was that Meenah, she told you her name eventually, just started hanging around Kankri. She'd just do little things to try to piss him of, you know get that fire back in his eyes, but sober Kankri never fights. In fact, you think Meenah got the worst end of the bargain, because she'd end up having to listen to his lectures whenever she sufficiently ticked him off, which for her was quite often. You almost had to laugh at how funny it was when that happened, because it was self inflicted torture. But, she was determined to get him to fight again. In fact, she eventually went as far as to spike his drink one night. That's one night you won't forget, for better or for worse.

*FLASHBACK*

You and your brother were going out to a party. It had been 2 months since you met Meenah, and 8 months since the death of Latula. It was a high class type of get together, the exact type of party you hated. But, you were willing to go to get Kankri out of the house, and not go to a bar. You had managed to keep him out of bars and sober for the past 2 months, but Meenah definitely was not a big contributor to that. Every damn minute you let Kankri out of your sight for more than 10 minutes that girl was trying to get him drunk. You're not sure how many times you'd catch her before he got anything to drink, but you couldn't have much luck left. At least you wouldn't have to worry about that tonight, Meenah wasn't around, said she, "had plans or somfin." Damn, those fish puns were so fucking annoying.

You arrived at the place and were stunned; it was kind of like a mansion in the middle of the city. This place must have cost a fortune. No, more than a fortune, because you had several and you still couldn't imagine ever being able to afford a place like this. You turned to look at Kankri, and saw sorrow in his eyes. Damn, you forgot. Mansions were not a place for happy memories with Kankri. "Come on, let's go ahead and fucking get this over already," you say to keep Kankri from thinking about it too long.

When you get inside, it's basically a giant ball room filled with dancing couples, tables of food along the sides, and a grand staircase in the back. Damn it all to fucking hell, did all mansions have that same staircase? Well, you lead Kankri over to a table filled with food so he wouldn't look at the staircase for too long. Right when you get to the food tables and pick up a plate, something catches your eye. Coming down the steps, in a bright pink and purple dress. Damn, she was a knockout. You really didn't care much for fancy dresses, but this girl pulled it off. It looked like she was fucking royalty of something.

Then, you nearly dropped the plate you had just picked up. You realize that you're looking at FUCKING MEENAH GODDAMN PIEXES! What the fuck was she doing here, and in that damn dress too. Once you get over the shock, you start thinking. She did say she had something she had to do tonight, but a fancy party? What connection did she have to high society? As far as you knew she was just a high-class low-life, which didn't mean much in the way of society. You were only here because you had heard there was a party here, Kankri needed to get out and about, and there was no bouncer at the door.

You close your jaw and turn back to the food table, you don't want to draw attention to yourself. You were crashing this party, and the first one to point that out would be Meenah, that is if she saw you of course. You were just going to just lay low and stay out of her way for the length of the party.

And that fucking plan was ruined as soon as Kankri saw Meenah and said rather loudly, "Hey Karkat, is that Meenah? What's she d9ing here, didn't she say she was 6usy t9night?" god Fucking damn it Kankri. And with that Meenah looked over at you two. At first a look of shock was scrawled across her face, but it was slowly replaced with a large grin that meant that you about to hate your fucking brother a lot more than usual.

Meenah slowly made her way towards you from the bottom of the stairs, the demonic grin never leaving her face the whole time. "Greetings Karkat and Kankri, what a surprise meeting you here. I had no idea you had been invited to this little get together of mine." You nearly spit out the cracker you had taken a bite out of, this was her damn party? "Though, of course, it's actually my mother's party you see. I'm just attending for her reputation." Who was her damn mother; she must have been one powerful dame. And, had Meenah dropped her accent? "I'm sure you have many questions, but I'm not going to answer them. In fact I'll call security to have you thrown out unless you do exactly as I ask of you." Damn, this chick was despicable. You almost respected her for that.

"Alright, what the hell do you want?"

"First, I want you to refrain from using explicate language. If you'll take a moment to look around you're in high society. Secondly, Kankri ask me to dance."

"WHAT IN TH HE- …I mean why do you want Kankri to dance with you?"

"For starters, he's cute. Secondly, he's a shell of a lot better than any of the other mother blubbers here."

Kankri clears his throat, "Meenah, w9uld y9u like t9 dance?" he ask raising his hand for her.

"I thought you'd never ask." She replied, taking his hand so he could lead her onto the dance floor. Damn, well at least Kankri was getting out and doing things. You guess that he would be fine while he was dancing so you turn back to the food table.

A few hours later you were still near the food table, though now you were leaning on the wall, watching Kankri and Meenah dance. They had been dancing this whole time, and as it was getting late into the night they were one of the few pairs still dancing. You wondered how they could do it, that would take a lot of damn endurance to dance that long.

As if on cue, Kankri and Meenah took that opportunity to stop dancing. They both walked over towards you slowly, each of them slightly out of breath. "Well, you fucks look tired." You say, disregarding Meenah's rules against cursing at the party.

"What are you talking about Karkat; I could go on for a few more hours." Meenah replied with a tired grin on her face, not looking like she could actually make true to that statement. "Though, I believe that we could use some refreshments. Kankri, would you come with me to the kitchen so I can get you something non-alcoholic, since I know you don't appreciate alcohol." She said with that sly grin in her face again. You didn't like that grin, but you can't really say much, she's going out of her way to get him a non-alcoholic drink at her own party.

They walk off towards a pair of doors neatly hidden form sight by decorations. You stand near the food table still, sipping on your scotch, but that grin started to give you a bad feeling, so you decide to follow them, and you think if you got caught you could just say you were looking for the restrooms.

You slowly walk towards the doors they had slipped into. Luckily, they were a quiet pair of kitchen doors, which just pushed open. You slip inside quietly, looking around for Meenah and Kankri. You quickly spot them near a large, walk-in refrigerator. Meenah is holding two cold drinks. She's saying something and points towards a stack of napkins. You think everything's okay, she just wants him to get some napkins to hold their drinks. You're about to walk away when you think notice Meenah slip something into one of the drinks. Fuck, okay, well you're not sure if you saw it or not, but you should go over and check anyway.

You start walking towards them slowly, while Kankri returns to Meenah with the napkins and a smile on his face. Meenah returns the smile as she hands him the drink that you think she slipped something into. Fuck, this isn't good; you pick up your pace. You think you hear them say "Cheers" and they start to lift their glasses. Damn it, okay you have to stop them, "KANKRI STOP!" you shout. But, your cry comes too late. His glass has already spilled some of the drink into his waiting mouth.

After a moment of drinking, he looks at you with a funny look on his face. And then, whatever she put into his drink took effect, as the fire ignited in his eyes. There was a look of excitement on Meenah's face; she had been waiting a long time for this rematch. ")(-EY KANKRI, R-EADY FOR ROUND TWO? I COULD GO ON FOR A FEW )(OURS!" She had reacquired her accent in the excitement.

Kankri turned towards her; the fire in his eyes seemed different from before. "That's g99d t9 kn9w, 6ecause y9u're g9ing t9 want t9 g9 f9r h9urs." He said, his words slurring slightly, but definitely intentional. Meenah almost looked confused in a way, she hadn't expected that type of reply, but she soon recovered and opened her mouth to retort. But before she could say anything, Kankri pulled her into a kiss. Your jaw dropped, FUCK. Okay, what do you do? You don't know what to do. It appears Meenah has similar thoughts running through her head. That is, until she seems to decide it's a good thing and turns it into a sloppy make-out session. Meenah's a little tipsy and Kankri's drugged, this wasn't going to stop on its own accord.

They start to wobble though, and end up against the wall. Meenah's hand searches along the wall until she finds a door handle. She breaks the kiss just long enough to open the door and shove Kankri into the closet. As Kankri falls in, a few buckets spill out. Meenah follows him in with a smile on her face, and shuts the door behind her.

Well, fuck…

You couldn't do anything now. So, you decide to make the best of it. You grab a few scotches and wait far enough away that you couldn't hear anything coming from the closet. Though, that was pretty far away because they were _really fucking loud_. No pun intended, you think to yourself. You had no idea what was going to happen in the morning, seeing as this was Meenah's mother's house; and you two weren't invited; and your brother was kind of screwing Meenah in a cleaning supplies cabinet. But, you think to yourself, "At least he won't be moping around anymore."

*END FLASHBACK*

You shudder at that memory. You quickly finish your current glass of scotch so you can quickly pour yourself another. You needed everything you could to get that memory out of your head; he was your fucking brother for crying out loud. You didn't even want to be sober enough to be able to imagine what went on in that closet in the least bit. Fuck, you were imagining it. Another glass of scotch down the hatch.

That's better, you couldn't think clearly now so you definitely couldn't imagine things. Hell, even most of your memories were starting to get fuzzy. Maybe you had had a little too much tonight, you absentmindedly think. You stand up from your office chair, or at least, attempt to.

The floor is not as hard as you remember it, you think after a few moments. Or this wet, had you spilled your scotch? Fucking hell that was your favorite brand and it was damn expensive too. After a moment you open your eyes and try to get up again, try being the key word. "It's this damn slippery floor," you slur under your breath. Then again, you didn't remember you scotch being that sticky, or even red. Something wasn't right, you could tell that.

You then hear the door to your office bang open, loud enough to making the room shake. "Fuck *hic* who the HELL wants to see me so fuckin- *hic* g badly?" You really are surprised you manage to say that, because you find yourself starting to black out. The last thing you see as your eyes close are a pair of blue shoes, accompanied by two voices and a tapping.

"oh, damn it karkat! we n33d to get him someplace qui…"

"WH4TS FUCK1NG H4PP3N3D? WHYS 1T SM3LL L1K3 R3D 1N H3R3? MOV3 H1M SOM..."


	9. A real headache

You don't want to open your eyes, but you realize that you're awake. Your head hurts like fucking hell. This pain seems different than the usual hangover pain too, it's kind of like someone took a sledgehammer to your damn skull. Then you feel the bed you're in. It isn't your bed, and it smells like anesthetic in here. You have no idea where you are or what happened but you think the best place to start finding out would be to open your eyes.

You crack open your eyes a tiny bit, and the light floods in, fucking damn it. You let out a small moan of pain. You hear a small gasp in the room, and who ever made it came rushing over to your bedside.

"K4RKL3S! YOUR3 4W4K3 YOU SC4R3D M3 TH3R3 FOR 4 L1TTL3 B1T YOU G14NT M34NY BUTT!" That sounded like Terezi. Then the door slammed open. Fuck, your headache wasn't going to get you any peace and quiet was it?

"your awake, karkat you had me so furried!"

"L4ST N1GHT YOU F3LL DOWN 1N YOUR OFF1C3 YOU SM4SH3D YOUR H34D ON TH3 CORN3R OF YOUR D3SK W3 BROUGHT YOU TO TH3 HOSP1T4L 4ND TH3Y S41D YOU W3R3 LUCKY TO H4V3 SURV1V3D YOU WOULD H4V3 B33N D34D 1F W3 H4DN'T H4V3 FOUND YOU!"

"karkat, you could have b33n dead! you pawsitively stupid idiot. you could have died on us and we'd never have gotten to say goodbye. it's… it's… " Nepeta couldn't say anymore, but she started crying on your hospital bed.

Fuck, why was it always you who had to nearly die and end up in this pile of shit. You still couldn't quite get your voice to work yet so you gently reached over and put your hand comfortingly on Nepeta. The effort made you head spin, but Nepeta started to choke back her crying.

"karkat, you have to promise to be purr careful. i don't know what i'd do without you."

"K4rkl3s, you h4d m3 r34lly worri3d. 1 don't w4nt you to d13."

Shit. This situation wasn't getting any better. I was still alive wasn't I? They need to calm down, you bet Gamzee isn't bawling his eyes out! I need to find a way to get them to calm the fuck down so that I can figure out why they're this upset, I mean; I'm alright now aren't I? You see if you can start to choke out a few words now."Cal- *cough* calm the fuck*cough* down will you?"Both Terezi and Nepeta smiled, nodding their heads. "Could one *cough* of you grab me some water?"

Terezi, who's already standing near the door, nods and walks out, hopefully to get you some water. That's one problem out of them room. That leaves you and Nepeta alone in your hospital room together. Did it get warmer in here or is it that head injury giving you troubles?

"karkat, do you n33d anything else?"

"I have *cough* everything I could need." Wait, damn that sounded like it meant something more than I meant. Please don't take it for more than I actually meant.

Nepeta's face blushed a little bit, damn it. "Oh, well, that's good Karkat. I'm glad to hear that."

Okay, calm down Karkat, you can let that slide, as long as you don't say something stupid next you can pass that last line off as bad use of phrasing, "You do make everything feel better." Never mind, you fucked up, bad.

Nepeta blushed more, "oh, thanks purr saying that, you make me f33l better too."

… oh, wait, she's not leaving. Could it be possible… ? " Hey Nepeta, can I ask you a question?"

"what is it karkat?" she ask, looking a little bit scared.

"Well, I've always wondered, why have you stayed by me? I known that you've lived in the warehouse for almost your whole life, but you could have left. So many people have come and gone, but you stayed with me. Why?"

"oh, well that's easy, you're a great friend karkat! you've helped me through thick and thin, and believed me when others didn't. and i …," she trails off at the end of her sentence so that you can't quite hear her.

"What was that last thing you said?"

"oh, nothing, i was just mumbling," she looks away, blushing furiously.

"I heard you say something, but I couldn't quite hear it. What was it you said?"

"just furrget it, it's nothing i swear," she says with conviction.

"Okay, okay, I'll drop it, but only because my head is fucking killing me." Nepeta smiles, and reaches up, stroking your hair gently as if in an attempt to caress the pain out of your head.

"don't worry, you'll find out one day or another, I swear." That statement left you feeling a little bit uneasy, for you had never really known Nepeta to say things with such weight, those words held so much weight that you felt like you were sinking deeper into the cushioning of your hospital bed.

You had fallen back asleep after a little while of Nepeta stroking your hair. When you wake up again, Terezi is sitting in your room. Your headache is less painful, but you can definitely still feel it. You try to sit up slowly and the headache shoots back to full strength when you move, "Fuck, I guess I still can't move yet."

"OH K4RK4T YOU'R3 4W4K3 1 BROUGHT YOUR W4T3R BUT YOU H4D F4LL3N 4SL33P SO 1 ST4RT3D DR1NK1NG 1T."

Your throat was still scratchy and dry so you still wanted water, "Well, is there any left? I'm as thirsty as hell."

"Y34H H3R3'S TH3 CUP" she says as she hands you the cup. You take the cup slowly and then take a long swallow. It felt better going down your throat than your finest bourbon and was more refreshing too. When you finish the cup you notice Terezi watching you, well, not watching you, but … being very attentive to your general area.

"Something wrong Terezi?"

"OH 1T'S NOTH1NG. 1 JUST NOT1C3D TH4T YOU US3D TO N3V3R DR1NK 4NYTH1NG TH4T 1 H4D DRUNK OUT OF 4ND YOU JUST DR4NK TH4T W4T3R W1THOUT H3S1T4T1ON …"

She was right; you thought it was disgusting when people shared drinks. Though it wasn't really important, you were really fucking thirsty, why did it matter if she had already drunk out of it. "Does it bother you for some reason?"

"OH NO 1 W4S JUST TH1NK1NG 1T M1GHT H4V3 M34NT SOM3TH1NG H4D CH4NG3D." You have no idea what she means, but she was acting weird and a different weird than usual. Then you noticed a slight blush on her cheeks, fuuuuuck. Why now?

You needed some time to think but you were going to hate yourself for this later. You sit up as fast as you can and send a splitting pain through your skull, enough to make you pass out….

You could still feel the pain in your head when you woke up this time, but you were very careful not to move, make a sound, or even change the rate of your breathing this time. You let out an internal sigh, why did this have to happen to you now. You were the head of a group of friends whole controlled a large piece of the drug industries, you had killed people with your bare hands, you were one of the most powerful men in the city, and yet you just had to make yourself pass out because you got scared because two women like you. You're such a fucking coward that you almost have to laugh at yourself. But, what are you going to do now? You think, well, I mean, it's not like I've never thought about going out with them. But, why did they both have to be here? You just… it would be so unfair to whichever one you didn't pick. You had known Nepeta for what seems like forever and it's not like you didn't have at least some feelings for her. Terezi, oh Terezi, from the first moment you had seen her she made your heart beat a little faster. Nepeta was the sweetest and most caring person you'd ever met. Terezi, she was wild and a lot of fun to be with. But why did they both have to like you? You'd actually rather that neither of them like you that way you wouldn't have to hurt anyone. Fuck

_**Okay, thanks for reading along so far! At this point I would like to take a poll of Karep vs Karezi. Current totals from previous votes on different websites are up to Karnep: 59 and Karezi: 54. Leave your votes in the review section. I will stop counting votes June 14, at 11 pm central time and have the next chapter up by next Wednesday.**_


	10. What's behind door number 1?

The light is soft as you blink into consciousness. You feel a lot better since you've been resting a lot, not to mention the I.V. in your arm slowly giving you nutrients. You slowly look around and notice for the first time waking up your hospital room that it's empty. It's rather relieving.

Slowly you sit up in your bed and take a moment to feel how all of your limbs feel. Your legs are a little stiff and there's still a small pain where your head hit the desk, but other than that your body feels fine. You decide that it's about damn time you could move, so you grab the rails on the side of your bed and move your legs around so that you're sitting on the side of the bed. Grabbing the I.V. rack you brace yourself to get up.

"Huh, that was pretty easy," you say to yourself once you're standing. You start to walk towards the door, feeling the blood in your legs starting to move again when it opens.

"Karkat, what 9n earth d9 y9u think y9u're d9ing?" Fucking hell, it was almost peaceful for a little while. You even wish that it had been Nepeta or Terezi over your Asshat brother.

"I'M FUCKING WALKING, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING ASSHAT."

"Karkat, I w9uld really appreciate it if y9u w9uld tag y9ur trigger w9rds and refrain fr9m descri6ing me as apparel f9r 9nes Gludi9us Maximus."

"#triggerwords: My damn fucking brother is a motherfucking asshat. IS THAT BETTER KANKRI?"

"Is s9mething 69thering y9u 6r9ther? You alm9st seem m9re 9ffensive than usual."

"NOTHING IS FUCKING WRONG WHAT REASON IN FUCKING HELL WOULD GIVE YOU THAT IDEA ASSHAT!"

"M9re clearly n9w I'm seeing that s9mething's 69thering y9u Karkat. W9uld y9u tell me what's wr9ng?"

"I'M A FUCKING MOB BOSS IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME WHEN GIRLS LIKE ME, I SHOULDN'T CARE! I MEAN I DON'T CARE! RIGHT? I'M CONSTANTLY BREAKING THE LAW AND IN DANGER AND I COULDN'T POSSIBLY LET SOME ONE I CARED ABOUT STAY CLOSE TO ME COULD I? AND I CAN'T HURT SOMEONE I CARE ABOUT EITHER? WHY IN THE FUCKING HELL AM I IN THIS GODDAMN SITUATION!"

Tears are forming in your eyes as you shout this at your brother. His eyes soften as he listens to your rant. Then he did something he's never done before, he moves forward and hugs you tightly. At first you're in shock, but then you just break down and sob into your brother.

"I'm s9rry Karkat, y9u may 6e an amazing mo6 6oss, 6ut I'm afraid that y9u're still human. Y9u're g9ing t9 have t9 make s9me t9ugh decis9ns 6ut I kn9w that y9u'll make the right 9nes. And, kn9w that n9 matter h9w y9u might try t9 keep the pe9ple y9u l9ve safe, they'll 6e in danger simply 6ecause they l9ve y9u," he says quietly while you're in his embrace, "6ut that's a g99d thing 6ecause leaving them al9ne w9uld hurt them w9rse. S9, keep y9ur chin up, put 9n that angry face I kn9w s9 well, g9 face y9ur challenges and #triggerword give 'em hell." he says with a smile.

You look at your brother, never one to actually say something meaningful. You let go of him, sniffle once while wiping your nose, then smile a little bit, "Thanks for the words of encouragement you damn asshat. Now if you would tell the front desk, I think it's about time that I checked out."

Kankri nods and turns to walk out the door, "and Karkri, thank you, really." Kankri doesn't reply as he walks out of the door, but the smile is still on his face. You can't help but think to yourself that Meenah must have really had a large effect on him if he both hugged you and used a curse word. Maybe that insane batshitting column of hot fuck-you wasn't too bad after all.

And thinking back to when you were drifting in and out of consciousness in your hospital bed whenever you did hear your brothers voice it was never without being unaccompanied by her screeching. Laughing to yourself, you realize that she became more than just an annoyance while you were down for the count. Well, your brother definitely deserved someone nice for what he's been through so you're happy for them.

You also make up your mind that you had some business to attend to before thing got any more complicated than they were already.

Kankri pulls the car up to Terezi's house as it's starting to get dark out, not helping the mood that you're in. Stepping out you slowly walk towards the front door. The front door opens and you hear "1 H34RD 4 C4R PULL UP 4ND 1 SM3LL TH3 HOSPIT4L SO TH4T MUST B3 K4RK4T W4LK1NG SLOWLY TPW4RDS TH3 DOOR. WH4T'S UP K4RKL3'S?"

"Terezi, do you have a moment? I'd like to talk."

She smiles and says, "OH 1'V3 B33N DY1NG TO T4LK TO YOU K4RKLES, COM3 ON IN."

You feel rather awkward coming in, but you might as well for now. It wouldn't take long. "Now, Terezi, I won't be staying for long, but I needed to talk."

You say that as seriously as possible, but Terezi just smiles slyly and says, "N33D3D TO T4LK 3HH? TH1S SHOULD B3 LOTS OF FUN." Apparently, you were terrible at giving hints.

"Terezi, the thing I needed to talk to you about is about us."

She smiles and leans closer, "WH4T 4BOUT US?"

"Just, that…. I think you have feelings for me. Feelings that are more than friendly, and I just.. I don't have those feelings for you."

The smile on her face faltered, and she leaned back, "Oh…"

You look her in the face, and put your hands on her shoulders, "Terezi, I will always love you as a friend, and don't you ever think differently, but I just don't love you the way you love me."


End file.
